Bag pouch



lMay 2, 1950 G. A. MOORE 5059311 BAG oUcH Sept. 1l, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet1 17 21 1.6 /7 l 9 l rfa' a l A 6 IV- |15 J /l/'g 4- v earye ,4r/:hymnMore [Manda/701101 4 Bcl-MMM www My 2, 1950 G. A. MOORE. l 2,506,311

BAG Poucl-x Filed Sept. l1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'fparyf fir/12790Maart Patented May 2, 1950 *UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE BAG roUcHGeorge Arlington Moore, New York, N. Y., assignor to Reynolds MetalsCompany, Richmond, Va., a corporation of Delaware' Application September11, 1946, vSerial No. 696,203

4 Claims. (Cl. 229-53) for the protection of the contained merchandiseand comprises an improved means for converting the bag into a pouchwhich may be opened for the convenient removal of the merchandisel andclosed to protect the remaining merchandise.

One of the characteristic features of the bagpouch of the invention isthat it is formed of exible thin sheet material that is non-resilientand remains where folded. Advantageously, I use a soft metal sheet suchas annealed aluminum, or laminated sheet material coamprising paper orthe like with a soft metal foil, such as aluminum foil, bonded thereto.The annealed dead soft aluminum is non-resilient and imparts thisproperty to the laminated sheet. The bagpouch of my invention isconstructed and arranged for complete sealing to protect themerchandise, for facile opening and closing during use, is simple inform, and inexpensive to produce. The bag-pouch is preferablyproportioned ier convenient carrying in the pocket and maintains itsgeneral shape during use. For these reasons it is advantageouslyapplicable for smoking tobacco. The lbag-pouch may, however, be used forother merchandise, especially merchandise which requires protectionduring storage and which is used piecemeal requiring frequent openingand closing.

The bag-pouch of my invention comprises a gusset type bag withrelatively long'front and back panels in comparison with the size of thelled and sealed bag-pouch. The ends have the usual gusset folds. One ofthe important features of my bag-pouch is the use of such panels andgusset folds with the seal closing the top close to the merchandise andalmost midway between the ends of the panels. The back panel isproportioned to include an integral closure flap, preferably comprisingthe major part of the panel. I provide a section integral with bothpanels defined by lines of weakness, such as perforated lines, whichenables the consumer to remove the section, thus leaving the flap as atangible element and making accessible a large mouth closed by the topseal. The retention of the removable section in the initially formed bagaccomplishes three purposes: (l) It stiffens the bag forrshipping,handling and display, (2) lit permits'production on standard bagmachines,

, 2 iand (3) it facilitates mechanical filling of the ags.

Il use sheet material having on its surface,` either in pattern form orcontinuous, a suitable thermoplastic sealing adhesive such as a coating,

nlm, lacquer, or pellicle which f orms a skin over the material.- Iprefer to seal the mouth along a narrow strip a short distance below theremovable section leaving a free lip at the mouth to facilitate pullingthe panels apart and to so 1ocate the sealed strip with respect to thecontents filling the bag that it may be folded over to form a more orless flat top normal to the panels.

I have found it advantageous to use a bottom closure made simply bysealing a narrow strip across the panels, which strip is left as a sortof fln projecting from the center of the bag bottom. This n may be usedin combination with the flap to effect an engagement which holds theilap in position. I prefer to fold the flap and iin so as to form a fiatbottom giving the bag a more or less rectangular shape which isespecially suitable in a bag-pouch used for smoking tobacco. When thepouch flap is folded over,

the mouth is held closed because the flap lies flat against the packageand presses the panels at the mouth tightly together. The mouthpreferably embraces the long dimension of the bag and this gives atobacco pouch of convenient dimensions with a large mouth into which apipe may be inserted for filling.

The invention provides the tobacco industry with a bag-pouch that willcompletely seal the tobacco in, preventing the ingress and egress ofmoisture, preserving the aroma of the tobacco and providing a tangibleshape of high decorative appeal which, when opened by the consumer,affords excellent service utility as a pouch.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a. `strip of sheet material with a blank within the cutlines for forming a bagpouch of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view from the front of a bag-pouch of the invention asinitially folded into a tube;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line 3 3 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlargement of sheet material for forming theblanks;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlargement of another form of sheet materialfor forming the blanks;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the tube of Fig. 2 with the bottom sealed andready to receive the merchandise;

Fig. 7 is a perspective of the bag-pouch when filled and sealed:

Fig. 8 shows the bag-pouch of Fig. 'I as completely closed and ready forslr' pment;

Fig. 9 is a perspective of the bag-pouch of Fig. 7 showing it in a firststage of opening, and

Fig. 10 is a perspective of the bag-pouch of Fig. 9 when fully openedillustrating the accessibility of the contents.

The strip of flexible, non-resilient sheet material shown in Fig. 1 maybe a sheet of annealed or dead soft aluminum, or a laminated sheetformed of paper or like material and a sheet of soft metal such as leador annealed aluminum foil.

The sheet material is usually supplied in narrow rolls containingthermoplastic adhesive and printed withAmulti-colored designsappropriate for the brand of the merchandise to be packaged. Theexterior surfaces may be coated with a lm of such heat-sealing materialsas vinylite, ethyl cellulose and the like. As a pellicle, the sheet mayhave bonded thereto a material such as Pliofilm, Koroseal, MSTcellophane, or polymerized ethylene. A very suitable material may besoft aluminum sheet mounted on each side of a paper sheet, such materialbeing known as Ply-foil, which will provide the facility of havingmetallic surfaces both inside and outside of the container pouch. Thesheet material may be coated on one entire exterior side with thethermoplastic material, or the surface may be printed with apredetermined pattern of thermoplastic to conserve such material. When apellicle is employed on one side of the foil, it should preferably be ofheatsealing material but may require, on the aluminum side thereof, apattern of thermoplastic adhesve as in some instances the pelliclematerial may seal to itself but not to aluminum. Therefore, it may beadvisable to have a prime surface of adhesive on the aluminum that makescontact with the pellicle. Such application of thermoplastic pattern maybe made at the time of printing and may be considered as an actual colorprinting operation.

As shown in Fig. 1, the strip of sheet material comprises longitudinalscore lines I to 6, score lines I, 3, 4 and 6 defining the edges of thefront and back panels, and score lines 2 and 5 the gusset folds. Thefolds for the bottom are formed by the lateral score lines 1 and 8 andthe angular corner score lines 9 and I0. The top fold at the mouth ofthe bag is formed by the lateral score lines I2 and I3 and the angularcorner score lines I4 and I5. The sealing area for the top seal isbetween the score lines I3 and I'I, lines I3 and I'I serving as hingesfor the closure flap. The material between lines 'I and 8 and betweenlines 'I and the cut line I6 is, respectively, the bottom and the areafor sealing the bottom and providing the bottom n. The material betweenthe top cut line I8 and the lateral score line I9 is a hinged catch 2Ion the end of the flap which engages the bottom n, and the materialbetween score line I9 and score line 20 forms the exterior bottom of thenished bag-pouch. The broken lines 22 and 23 represent lines ofweakness, such as perforations, in which the sheet material is cutthrough but retained by intermediate lands or uncut portions.

Fig. 4 shows, in section, a sheet of soft metal, such as aluminum foilI9', with a pellicle 20', such as Pliolm or the like, bonded or suitablyattached thereto. Fig. shows. in section, a sheet of laminated materialcomprising a core of paper 22', such as groundwood or kraft paper withexterior layers of aluminum foil 23 and 24' bonded thereto. The bondingis preferably effected with a pellicle such as Pliolm applied in sheetform or any one of the several suitable thermoplastic materialspreviously mentioned. The seals are preferably formed by the applicationof heating irons or by passing the contacting sheets over heated rolls.

In using certain types of sheet material, such as aluminum or laminatedsheets, the lines, especially the longitudinal lines I to 6, perform theimportant function of facilitating passage through the packagingmachinery. They, of course, give form and outline to the finishedbag-pouch. In thin types of materials, it may not be necessary topre-score the blanks. however, suitable lines of weakness, such as theperforated lines 22 and 23, are cut into the ma.- terial. Depending uponthe type of bag making machinery used, the strip of sheet material iscut into blanks before, during, or after the forming of the bags. In onetype of operation, the strip of sheet material is folded with thelongitudinal edges overlapped and sealed as in Figs. 2 and 3. The bottomis sealed forming a complete bag which is filled and then sealed acrossthe top. The lled bag is then cut from the strip material along thebottom cut line.

The strip of sheet material shown in Fig. 1 may be fed into a packagingmachine from a suitable roll, such as embossing rolls or the like. Whenthe adhesive material is in pattern form, a suitable electric eyeregistration device is employed to register the cutoff and the blank maybe folded to the position shown in Fig. 2, sealed along its longitudinalseam 24, and across the bottom at 25, all in accordance withconventional practice. The container thus formed has a completely sealedbottom and longitudinal seam, an

' open top, and end gussets 26 and 2'I. The longitudinal seam and gussetfolds are best shown in Fig. 3.

As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, the front panel 28 and rear panel 29are considerably longer than the lled bag of Fig. 8, thus providing theflap 30 and the removable section 3I.

Fig. 6 shows the bag of Fig. 2 in open position ready to receive themerchandise to be packaged, and for purposes of illustration, a veryconvenient way to load the bag is to thread the bag over a hollow thinwall tube through which the merchandise, previously weighed, isintroduced into the bag by a suitable plunger. The bag is then strippedfrom the tube and folded and sealed along the narrow top strip 32, asshown in Fig. 7.

. The seal is close to the top of the merchandise,

giving the bag a fairly flat top when the seal,

is folded over as in Fig. 8-. (The sealing areas 24, 25 and 32 are shownstippled.)

The bottom n 33, as shown in Figs. v6 and 7, embraces the sealing strip25, and by reason of the folds in the bottom, projects out from thebag-pouch of Fig. 8, this upper flattened portion comprising the closureflap 30 and the removable section 3I is folded over with the extremeend, catch 2I, folded over the n 33 and pressed together to form aclinched connection. When using the bag-pouch for smoking tobacco, arevenue stamp 34 is placed over these folded In either case,V

.the panels apart and pull olf the entire central .chored at the bottom,as shown in Fig. 8.

ends to effect a permanent secondary closure. It will be seen that thisflap closure covers part of the top, the front panel, and the bottom.This provides a more or less rectangular bag with fairlywell definededges and at surfaces suitable for display advertising.

To open the package of Fig. 8, the revenue stamp 34 is severed, as withthe thumb nail, and the catch unfolded from engagement with the -fin 33.When this ilap is in an extended position, as in Fig. 7, it is a simplematter to pull section 3| within the perforated lines 22 and 23, leavingthe single flap closure comprising merely the upper portion of backpanel 29. This leaves the front panel 32 with a short free lip 35 whichmay be grasped to pull open the mouth ofthe bag to the position shown inFig. 10. The thermoplastic sealing material is of such character thatthe'panels separate along the seal 32 without tearing the sheet. Becauseof the side -gussets 26 and 21 and the relative length of the mouth, thebag-pouch has. a wide open mouth which facilitates removal of thecontents.4 This is particularly important when the bag is used forsmoking tobacco because it enables the smoker to insert the bowl of apipe into the bag to ll it, as is usually done with tobacco pouches.When it is desired to close the bag-pouch to protect the remainingcontents, the front and back panels are pressed-together causing thegussets to fold to their original positions and the flap 39 is foldedover to the closed position shown in Fig. 8 with the end thereoffoldable along score line'` I9interlocking with the n 33.

One of the'advantages of the bag-pouch of the invention is that itreduces in thickness as the contents are removed. The length and widthdimensions remain substantially as in the original package. by reason ofthe gusset construction and the interlocking of the closure ap with thefin. The general shape of the bag ismaintained, with the exception thatit becomes thinner. This is an important feature, especially in tobaccopouches because it maintains the ba'g in a convenient size and shape forcarrying in ones pocket. Thisis in preference to having the height ofthe lbag reduced Ain dimension as the contents are removed. When the bagis reclosed, the extending free lip 35 folds down against the top of thepackage and the ap pulls it down into close contact when the flap is an-This not only -prevents sprinkling or sifting of the contents butaffords substantial protection until the contentsA are fully used.

The invention provides a bag container fabricated of materials whichlend themselves to high quality sales appeal affording maximum facilityto the consumer, and particularly when used as a tobacco pouch. Itsimperviousness to moisture,

such as perspiration, and its flexibility, make it desirable to carry asa pouch. The closure' features are such that it provides maximumprotection to the merchandise packed therein and a' sprinkle-proofre-closure after the original seals are broken.

I claim:

1. A bag-,pouch for merchandise which comprises a gusset type bag formedof flexible, nonresilient laminated sheet material including at leastone exterior layer 'of sott metal and having front and back panels,gusset ends, a closure flap forming the. major portion of the backpanel, an adhesive sealing strip across the front and back panelsapproximately midway between their ends and close to the merchandiseclosing the mouth of the bag, said adhesive having such low adhesivestrength that it permits the panels to open along the seal Withouttearing, said closure ilap being foldable over the closed mouth, alongthe front panel and over the bottom, and means on the bottom to engagethe flap and hold it in position.

2. A bag-pouch for merchandise which comprises a gusset type bag formedat least in part of soft sheet aluminum having front and back panf els,gusset ends, a flap forming the major portion of the back panel, meansclosing the bottom of the bag leaving a projecting n, an adhesivesealing strip across the front and back panels spaced between the topand bottom and near the merchandise, said adhesive having such lowadhesive strength that it permits the panels to open along the sealwithout tearing, said flap being foldable over the top of the-merchandise to close the mouth, along the front panel and intoengagement with the fin.

3. A bag-pouch for merchandise which comprises a gusset type bag formedof flexible, nonresilient sheet material having front and back panels,gusset ends, a flap forming the major portion of the backpanel, adhesivesealing the bottom and the mouth of the bag completely across the frontand back panels, a fin projecting-from the sealed bottom, a section ofthe sheet material integral with but severable from the flap and frontpanel, said section being removable to make the bag mouth accessible,said flap being fo1dable over the closed mouth, along the front paneland into engagement with the n.

4. A bag-pouch for merchandise which comresilient sheet material havingfront and back panels, gusset ends, a flap integral with and comprisinga substantial part of the back panel, adhesive sealing the mouth of thebag completely across the front and back panels, said adhesive havingsuch low adhesive strength that it permits the panels to be opened alongthe seal without tearing, a bottom closure for the bag including asealing strip leaving a projecting fin, a longtudinal seam through thefront panel extending across the bottom and top seals, a removablesection integral with the flap and front panel defined by a perforatedline, said section being removable on the initial opening of the bag tofa- .5 cilitate access to the mouth, and means on the flap to engage thefin and hold the flap in position.

GEORGE ARLINGTON MOORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record vin the flie ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Rose. May 4, 1943 prises a gusset type bag formedof flexible, non-

